Crash Course Geography: Understanding Space

Vocabulary flashcards covering key geographic concepts from the Crash Course lecture on space.

Geographic Space

The physical and abstract areas on Earth where natural features and human activities occur and interact.

Space as a Container

A view of space that treats Earth like a box—focused on what is located inside or outside specific boundaries.

Topological Space

Space understood through the arrangement and connections among features (routes, networks, proximity), rather than their absolute location.

Socially Constructed Space

Locations given shared meaning by communities, becoming sites for cultural, political, or economic activities (e.g., a neighborhood park or festival ground).

Individually Perceived Space

Personal interpretation of an area, shaped by one’s experiences and mental maps of that place.

Coordinate Reference System (CRS)

A grid framework used to pinpoint exact positions on Earth by latitude, longitude, and sometimes elevation.

Global Positioning System (GPS)

U.S. satellite network that sends radio signals enabling receivers to determine precise ground locations.

Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)

Collective term for all nations’ satellite constellations (U.S., Russia, EU, China, India, Japan) that provide global positioning data.

Spatial Analysis

The blend of geography and mathematics used to detect, quantify, and explain patterns and relationships in space.

Remote Sensing

Collecting information about Earth’s surface from a distance—via satellites, aircraft, or drones—without direct contact.

Photogrammetry

Remote-sensing technique that derives measurements and maps from photographs taken from the air or space.

Pixel (in Remote Sensing)

The smallest image unit whose numeric value represents reflected energy at a specific wavelength from Earth’s surface.

RadarSat

Radar-equipped satellite program (NASA & Canadian Space Agency) used to image surfaces like Antarctica through cloud and darkness.

Crevasse

A deep, often hidden crack in glacial ice; hazardous for travel and mapped via radar or remote sensing.

Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival

Annual event in Harbin, China where river ice is carved into massive sculptures, turning the city into a culturally significant winter attraction.

Mental Map

An individual’s internalized, subjective map of an area highlighting personally significant landmarks and routes.

Crowdsourced Mapping

Creation or improvement of maps by large groups of volunteers who trace features and add local knowledge online.

OpenStreetMap (OSM)

Free, editable digital world map platform built by volunteer mappers and widely used for humanitarian and local projects.

Digitizing (Mapping)

Tracing and converting features from images into coordinate-based vector data for use in digital maps.

Humanitarian Mapping

Applying geospatial tools and volunteer mapping to support disaster response, public health, and human-rights efforts.

Spatial Data

Any information that has geographic coordinates, enabling it to be mapped and analyzed in space.

Land Acknowledgement

Recognition of indigenous peoples’ historical and ongoing relationships with the lands represented on modern maps.